Abstract:

Anxiety among International graduate students represents a significant concern for those students planning to pursue higher education in the United States. This paper aims to highlight the primary triggers of anxiety in International graduate students and subsequently develop a systematic methodology to address these underlying causes.

The study commenced by identifying a group of graduate students who voluntarily collaborated to address their concerns while maintaining anonymity. The objective was to unearth the prominent issues faced by current students as well as alumni of our institute. A comprehensive set of survey questions was meticulously designed to gather information, encompassing age, demographics, behavioral challenges, and educational approaches. The formulation of these survey questions took into account ethical considerations, including the respondents' diverse cultural and religious sensitivities. The research revealed responses from the surveys, providing initial insights into the experiences of students dealing with anxiety and the principal factors triggering their anxiety.

The survey results indicated that academic pressures, challenges associated with cultural and environmental adaptation, and language barriers contributed most to anxiety among these students. The ongoing study involves a data set generation and performing a statistical analysis using Machine Learning to gear up towards a deeper exploration of these underlying causes, with the ultimate goal of devising a step-by-step methodology. In order to support students grappling with these anxiety-inducing factors, this methodology intends to advocate for additional resources to be allocated to universities and administrative authorities. The research also highlighted that first-semester and final-semester students of all the departments in the university, including MS and Ph.D. students, experience the maximum anxiety, and the anxiety affects their performance as per their evaluation.

The potential impact of an accommodating methodology extends beyond the confines of the classroom. By addressing international students' anxiety, we have identified a set of accommodations that can be incorporated for all graduate education, which can substantially enhance their overall well-being, thus fostering a more conducive learning environment.

Keywords:

International Graduate Students, Mental Health, Accommodation, Accessibility.